As a result, Capital Sound Hire, the band's audio production company, found themselves specifying delay arrays into the O2 sound reinforcement system for the first time.
The entire coverage, including side-hangs, front-fills and delays, was made up of Martin Audio's W8LC Compact line arrays - including 20-box hangs as the main reinforcement system - stretching the production company's inventory to the limit. All the full range enclosures were powered by Martin MA4.2s amplification.
With the two delay-hangs (each comprising 12 x W8LCs) set 50m back down the auditorium, the two main SR stage arrays (comprising 18 x W8LC and a pair of W8LCD down-fills) were complemented by 14 W8LC and two W8LCDs (as side-hangs) and six W8LC and two W8LCD as the upstage secondary side-hang. These were supplemented by 12 x W8LS Subs up in the air, with a further four floor-mounted, alongside four WS218Xs.
Four blocks of two Martin Audio W8LM Mini Line Arrays provided front-fills reinforced further by three W8C's to cover the front rows.
Capital Sound crew boss Harm Schopman stated that with most of the system flown, the main task was to pull the image down for those sitting in the nearfield area from a vast hang, trimmed 11m above the stage. He added that because of the length of the drop - and the large vertical coverage angle involved - special ViewPoint array software predictions had to be provided by Martin Audio R&D director Jason Baird.
Capital Sound Hire have considerable experience of working the O2 Arena, with acts as diverse as Take That, The Stereophonics, Kylie Minogue, El Divo and Lee Evans. "And although this is not the first time we have used delays it is the first time we have taken such a radical design approach," said account manager, Paul Timmins. "But I was pleasantly surprised that we achieved what some may have thought as being a suicidal gamble."
(Jim Evans)
